Red Skies
by Firestorm
Summary: The Turtles are placed in a terrible predicament that could mean their very lives and sanity, and the lives of the citizens. Even worse, is that they don't know anything about the kid Raphael brings home. Who is he? Why is he running? And what happened in San Francisco? Who is this CPRPA? It's about to be the fight of the life time as they attempt to protect him and find answers.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is my second TMNT fanfiction. It features a character (Thunder) from my novel, The Warriors: The Beginning. You'll see why he's in here as the story progresses. This fanfic was also based on an RP with two friends. That being said, I do not own TMNT, nor do I own Rain or Kaye...

Red Skies

Manhattan, New York, the backdrop of America as some would call it. The sky always penetrated by tall skyscrapers bordered by a myriad of other buildings that was often in clusters, forming communities, suburbs, and rural areas all conjoined into one mass city. It was here that he hid among the buildings, surveying, guarding, perhaps even waiting for something.

Raphael, the hot headed one, the one who constantly kept a shell about himself-in terms of speaking without the pun, crouched on the roof of a bank, overlooking the city as the afternoon sky was lit up by the sun. The penetrating rays hit the back of his rough and cracked shell as he watched the crowds of people below.

So far, it had been quite a boring watch. Not much going on, other than the usual skirmishes between kids. He had smiled to himself when he saw one small kid quickly end a squabble between himself and two others, and had come out triumphantly. Kid had a future that was for sure.

Raph chewed on the pointy end of his sai, feeling more bored. Something had to give soon or he was going to explode.

He sat back, cracked his neck, then shifted position of his knees. He was sure he was getting a cramp in his butt. He stood up a little more, and then his eyes caught someone running and several people in weird lab coats chasing him.

"What in the world?"

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The said person Raph had been watching had a stitch in his side as he sped through several streets, running through alleys and dodging where ever he could. For days he had been running, stopping only long enough to rest for an hour or two before he was forced to run again.

Why? Why couldn't they leave him go?

But they wouldn't. They would continue to hunt him down, and all because of what he could do, and because of what he had done a year ago.

_'I need a place to hide...but where?'_ he wondered. He looked up and spotted the fire escape. It was his only choice. With what strength he could muster, he leapt up onto the bottom rung and climbed his way up. Down below, the ones chasing him quickly surrounded the fire escape.

"Stop!" one of them, a woman said. "Please! We only want to help you!"

But he didn't heed and continued to climb.

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Raph didn't like any of this. They were chasing the kid for some reason, but why? Better step in and find out what's going on. He stood up to full height, grinned in excitement, then suddenly leapt over the side, sailing over the quickly ascending kid and landed on the ground, blocking the people who had been chasing him.

"I don't know what your beef is with that kid up there," he drawled as he twirled one sai. "But I think it's pretty unfair that there are several of ya chasing him."

The apparent leader, a woman with short blond hair and glasses, frowned as she studied Raph. A turtle? Not only that, a talking, humanoid turtle. She stiffened, surprised, unable to take her eyes off him.

"What? See something ya like?"

She blinked and shook her head, suddenly remembering what she was to do. She quickly reached inside her lab coat and pulled out an identification badge. "My name is Anna Chewaway. I'm an assistant at the Center of Paranormal Research and Protection Agency, better known as CPRPA. Please! You must stop him! He is dangerous!"

Raph cocked an eyebrow. Dangerous? He looked back up at the roof. Whoever the kid was..he looked more scared, because he was still trying to get away.

"Listen, lady," Raph said as he looked back at her. He kept his sais ready "I see a kid terrified of ya chasing him. And not only that, but ya got ya whole groupy there going after him. If he's so dangerous...then why he's running? And from you?"

"He's..he's dangerous because he's responsible for blowing up San Francisco!" Anna said, her face redding.

"Say what?"

Anna sighed and tucked away her badge. There was just no getting through to him.. Assuming it was a him. She studied Raph a little more closely, still amazed it was a talking humanoid turtle.. Or maybe it was just a weirdo in a costume? "Since you are so keen on 'protecting' him as you say... why not ask him?"

With that, she walked away, signaling to her troupe to fall back. Raph watched them, blinking. Alright, fine.. That's just what he would do.

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The hooded boy was still on the roof, frantically judging the distance to jump. How had they found him? He was certain he had eluded them in Pennsylvania...so how did they catch up to him to New York? It didn't make sense. Though one thing did. There was no way he was going back. Ever. Even it meant ignoring his exhaustion just to get away. And find a place to hide.

"So, kid...ya wanna tell me what the shell is going on around here?"

The harsh voice, somehow concern lining it, alerted him. He turned around, defensively..then..blinked. A turtle?

"Yeah, yeah..don't act so surprised.. I'm a mutant ninja turtle, the name's Raphael. Now..tell me who you are and why those people are after ya." Raph crossed his arms, staring sternly and waited impatiently.

The boy lowered his head, and then in an European accent, spoke, "You shouldn't have gotten involved.."

"Kind of my thing, kid. I'm used to trouble," Raph said with a smirk. Man, he really hated cocky kids.

"No... I don't know who you are, outside of your name...but you shouldn't have gotten involved.." He turned around and stepped onto the edge of the roof, again judging the distance.

"Listen kid! I just stuck my neck out for ya and you..." He was suddenly cut off when the boy jumped. Mouth ajar he watched in disbelief as the kid cleared the air, a good ten feet across and landed on the other building's roof.

Okaaay... Well, that was unexpected.. Was this kid a ninja? He couldn't have been a Foot member... No, something wasn't right. And Raph was going to find out what it was. He quickly leapt across to the other building and suddenly tackled the boy.

The two rolled across the roof and Raph then pinned him. But suddenly, he yelped. What the shell was that?! Did this kid just electrocute him?!

"Gah!" He quickly reacted upon instinct and flipped up and out of the way. Landing on his feet, he glared. "What the shell just happen?! What did ya do to me?!"

The boy was on his feet, head down again. He did not speak at first, but remained motionless. He clenched his fists at his sides. "I am sorry... But I tried telling you...you shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Well, I'm involved now, kid. That's all there is to it.. I can help ya.. And so can my family. Now, kid..don't make me say please..because I hate that word." Raph gave him the best Splinter stern look he could. Which frankly wasn't much.

The boy sighed. Well, what did he have to lose any way? It was either keep running...or maybe accept help. Thing was..could he trust this...strange humanoid turtle? What was his name again? Oh right. Raphael.

"Very well... I shall accept your offer."

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The thumping wall vibrated from the cacophonic sound of some singer blasting his voice through the speaker. Michelangelo snapped his fingers to the rhythm and shook his hips as he rocked back and forth to the beat of the music. Oh yes, rock n roll was just his thing!

And it was the perfect time for a great song like this. No Shredder to deal with, no bad guys to take on. He could live like this. Maybe he could be a DJ or something.. Well if he was ever fully accepted in the human world that is.

Nearby, Leonardo looked over and sighed in disapproval. Mikey was going to destroy his own ear drums one day, and the rest of theirs. Besides, it was actually irritating with the walls shaking so much. He was about to give Mikey some words of wisdom when Splinter walked in and suddenly thrust over a pair of headphones to the dancing turtle.

"Use these, my son," Splinter said in that familiar voice that meant he didn't have a choice. "Your music is not one with my soul. I suggest you pay more attention to the feelings of others. Respect for the individual is a mighty lesson."

Mikey blinked at the headphones, then looked up at Splinter who was now walking away, back toward the center of the living room.

"You heard him," Leo said, over the sound of the thumping walls. He drew one katana from its sheath and sliced the air in front of him. The timing seemed off though. The music, most likely. _'A true ninja is not deterred by distractions!'_ he mentally scolded himself. He kept slicing through the air.

Mikey pouted. He was having such a good time.. Still. One did not cross Splinter. Splinter may have been old, and he may look weak..but Mikey knew better. Splinter could break out a can of fighting styles that could break a person in half. Or a turtle for that matter.

He plugged the headphones into the stereo. At least he could still listen to his music and dance.

Leo paused his slicing after a few minutes of the silence. Looking over his right shoulder, he had to supress a giggle. Mikey looked...well ridiculously silly.

The door to Donatello's lab opened and the brainiac stepped in, carrying a long printed report of some analysis he was doing earlier. He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Well that was a dud," he said with a frown.

"What were you doing, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"I was running a diagnostic test to see how our brain waves react to different situations, kind of like how your heart rate goes up during excitement or stress," Donnie said. "Unfortunately, nothing came up that would tell me any significance."

"Maybe you need another tactic?" Leo suggested.

"Maybe.. I'll take a break and try again here in a bit," Donnie said.

At this point, Mikey shut the stereo off and took the headphones off. He grinned at Donnie. "Yo, Donnie, what's the haps!"

"Frustration in the scientific world," Donnie muttered. He walked over to the nearby resting couch and sat down. Something had to give. It may have not been a big deal to the others, but such reports could help them later on.. If he could just get it right.

"Aw man, that's bad news, dude," Mikey said. "I mean how else are we gonna tell Raph that he's a shell for brains?"

"I'll give ya shell for brains, ya little twerp," Raph said as he entered through the door. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey all looked up, then immediately drew their weapons and got into attack mode.

"Raph, behind you!" Donnie warned.

Raph quickly held his hands up. "Whoa! Whoa! Settle will ya? He's with me."

They blinked in surprise. Although they shouldn't have been because this wasn't the first time Raph brought a stranger to their home. But who was this guy? And why was he wearing a hood? Was he hiding his looks? That only served to heighten their suspicions, and sad to say, Raph wasn't always a good judge of character. Like the time he brought a little girl home and she turned out to be a giant spider monster.

"Look, guys.. I know what ya'll are thinking. But some people were chasing him. A bunch of them! I helped him out. He needs sanctuary, don't ya see?" Raph still didn't really have a clue what was going on, and so far the boy hadn't spoken.

The boy in question was staring at the other turtles in surprise. More of them? What did Raphael say earlier? Oh yes. He was a mutant ninja turtle. These must be his brothers.

They put their weapons away but closely watched the boy. It was then that Splinter came out. The ninja master stared at the boy who stared back at him. Finally, Splinter turned to Raph. "Raphael, what is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry, sensei..." Raph said with a bow. He was in trouble and..."

"Say no more." Splinter looked at the boy. "What is your name? And where do you come from?"

The boy was staring in shock at Splinter. Okay, don't faint.. Fainting is bad. So he's a giant rat.. A real one.. one that could talk...He must have been a mutant too?

Finding his voice, he managed to speak. "My name...is Thunder Copiel. And... I am requesting sanctuary." He removed his hood to reveal himself fully.

Splinter and the Turtles got a good look at him now. He was lithe, on the thinner side as if he had somehow dropped weight in a short period. His blond hair was unkempt with pieces sticking up at an odd angle and his left eye covered by his bangs. He had an androgynous look about him, and something about him reminded Donnie about Tolkien's elves from Lord of the Rings. He didn't see any pointy ears though.

Splinter bowed. Likewise the Turtles followed suit. "Welcome to our home, Thunder. I am Splinter. These are my sons, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo. And you have already met Raphael. If you will, please forgive our uncertainty. We have had...unsavory characters here before." He cast a meaningful look at Raph who ducked his head down a bit.

"I take no offense to it," Thunder said, quietly. "Your... son? He helped me and insisted I come with him. You see.. I was being chased."

"Who was chasing you?" Leo asked, staring at Thunder suspiciously.

"They are an agency facility. The Center of Paranormal and Research Protection Agency," Thunder said. He was feeling more tired now. He thought any moment he would fall asleep standing there. "They specialize in helping people with abilities..kinetic power. I was the main concern... They kept me under strict supervision. I was never allowed around many electrical equipment, and I was always followed by an agent or more. I was also put through several training tests to help me control my power. It barely helped, but try they did. They...weren't bad people. But I am the type of person who detests my freedom being taken away from me. So.. I managed to escape and run away."

"And how long were you on the run for?" Leo pressed on. Something just didn't seem to fit right in his eyes. The fact that this kid just might be dangerous didn't escape him "Five days," Thunder said. "I've been running mostly..hitching rides when I could, and hiding other times.

"Ya see guys? They been chasing him clear across the country," Raph pointed out. He crossed his arms. "I say we let him crash here a while.. and see what this CPRPA is really up to."

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Anna Chewaway pulled up her lab coat further onto her shoulder as she headed toward the apartments on West 23rd Street. Her first thought was..she didn't want to be here. Her second thought was the weird guy with the long black hair sitting on the steps of another apartment was a bit peculiar, and made her feel uncomfortable.

She kept her eyes straight. Don't draw attention to yourself. Just keep walking straight.

Rikki lived at the bottom right apartment. And it was there Anna was going. Hopefully Rikki was home. Best to get this done and over with.

Anna rapped three times on the door and was about to knock a fourth time when the end of a 12 gauge barrel came directly at her face.

"Whoa! Rikki, it's me! Anna!"

The door opened further. Rikki was hardcore. No denying that. Her tight cut off jean shorts, that tight tank top that was stitched along the sides, the military like boots and that cigarette sticking out of the corners of her mouth. Her dark purple eyebrow raised with the slight cock of her right eye.

"Yo, Anna.. Long time no see."

Anna flushed crimson red. "Why are you dressed like that?!"

"Hm?"

"Dressed like a desert hooker!"

Rikki simply kept her eyebrow cocked before leveling the gun at Anna's forehead again. Anna tensed, meeting those ice blue eyes with her own. Would Rikki shoot her? For just a comment? She winced.

"I like what I wear. Got that? Now, why are you here? Don't tell me they screwed up again." Rikki kept the gun where it was and spat to the left.

Anna grimaced, wishing that Rikki would lower the rifle "Thunder escaped. Derick's worried he'll hurt someone or himself."

Rikki's eyebrows raised. "So the kid did get out? Hah! Randy owes me a hundred bucks." She snorted and actually did lower the gun, much to Anna's relief, and took her finished cigarette out of her mouth. She flicked it neatly into an ashtray behind her in her apartment.

Anna growled. Why did this seem like a joke to Rikki? Didn't she get it? Wait...this was Rikki.. What was she thinking? "This isn't the time for jokes! Yes, he escaped. He electrocuted the guards and short circuited the alarms, causing all the doors to open. Then...he scaled over that fifteen foot wall like it was nothing!"

Rikki whistled. "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Kid's got talent. Gotta give him credit."

Anna sighed in frustration. "We tracked him all through Texas up to here. He was able to hitch rides with truckers and drivers, even stowed away on a train. It's how he got here actually."

"And you guys could never get close to him? Why not shoot him with a tranq?"

"Because that's not what our center does!"

"How long has he been running for?"

"Five days. He spent two days running straight, always avoiding our vehicle somehow." Anna mused over that. There was the time they had almost had him cornered, back in Wheelersburg, PA. But the moment they went to step out of the vehicle, an electrical light surrounded the van. Thunder had made his escape right then and there. It was clearly frustrating.

"Honestly...with him running two days straight... I don't know how he's still alive," Anna said in wonderment.

"Maybe the kid's just more intelligent than Derick or Randy put on?" Rikki voiced. She lit up another cigarette.

"Obviously." Anna rolled her eyes. "Regardless, they want you to track him down. He must be found, otherwise, the whole world will be in danger."

Rikki rolled her eyes. "Fine. Get inside and I'll brew some coffee. We'll discuss the details, though I think you should leave the kid alone."

Anna nodded and relaxed her stance a bit more. Finally, she was getting somewhere. She followed Rikki through the door. "Believe me, once we help him gain control of his power, he will be let go. I just wish he knew we were trying to help him."

The door closed behind her.

Across the way, the same man that Anna had passed, had been listening to the entire conversation. Something wasn't right. Not right at all. Better head over to Eastman and Laird. The Turtles would want to know about this.

And Casey Jones donned his famous hockey mask, hopped on his motorcycle parked along the north end of the building, and quickly sped off toward Turtles home.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I wish to thank all those who reviewed. The next few chapters are going to be a challenge to write, mainly because I'll be gathering every element of the story into one critical point of the entire plot. Hang onto your seats.

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"Man...well what do we do now?" Raph grumbled. He was sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over a knee and impatiently tapping his other knee. They had given Thunder sanctity and now he was in the shower after Splinter's insistence. So far, they still didn't know much about anything. Donatello had gone to his lab and was hard at work researching the CPRPA. There had to be more to Thunder's story. Something he was hiding.

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked. "Right now, there is nothing we can do. Not until Donnie finds more information about this CPRPA." He sighed inwardly. As if they didn't have enough to deal with already. Now they had to deal with a mysterious kid with a shaky past. Still, the way of Bushido prevented him from turning away a person who needed help. And right now, Thunder needed it. But that didn't stop him from worrying about the safety of his family.

"Well, there's gotta be something we can do... I say we go looking for them." Raph pounded his fist into an open palm.

"Oh right, Raph... So they can examine you?"

"Actually, they already saw me, bro."

"WHAT?!"

Splinter sighed from his chair, opening one eye to regard the two. Why wasn't he surprised at Raph's brash actions? Oh right, because he was used to it. Still, that didn't stop him from getting up and whacking Raph on the head with his stick.

"Ow! Sensei, what was that for?!" Raph protested.

"You know very well what that was for, Raphael. Stop acting so foolishly when you go to the surface. One day, you may find yourself at a great disadvantage, my son." Splinter's words cut like a sharp blade.

"Alright.. alright... I get it," Raph muttered as he rubbed his head.

"I do not think you do."

Splinter walked away to return to his chair, leaving Raph to mope about his harsh words. It was a lesson he still had to learn, and as stubborn as he was, that learning could take longer than Splinter would have preferred.

Leonardo shook his head. "Right now, we can't do anything. And I don't want you sticking your nose into something without proper answers, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah," Raph muttered.

Just then, the door to their lair opened and at once Raph and Leo drew their weapons and Splinter gripped his staff. But Casey Jones stopped in mid-walk, waving his empty hands.

"Whoa, chill ya guys! It's me!"

"Damn it, Casey..." Raph muttered.

"Nice to see ya too, Raph," Casey grumbled.

Leo put his swords away and sighed apologetically. "Sorry Casey. We're under some...pressure." He offered a seat to Casey, which was next to Raph. Casey took it immediately.

"Yah, and I've got some major news too for ya guys," Casey said. "Seems there's these people. Out searching for a kid. Said he was dangerous.. And I'm thinking Shredder, ya know? Because Shredder is responsible for lots of dangerous stuff."

Raph, Leo, and Splinter all frowned.

"Um... Casey, what exactly did you hear?" Leonardo pressed on.

And so Casey told them everything he had heard said between Anna and Rikki, about how some kid escaped a facility and how they tracked him down, and how they wanted to capture the kid because he was dangerous or something like that.

"Heh...sounds like our guy," Raph said with a slight grin.

Casey gave him a quizzical look. Now Casey wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and sometimes it took him three times to understand something, particularly when it made no sense to him. He was more of a fighter, not a thinker. "Uhh..what guy?"

"Raph found a kid running from these group of people earlier," Leo explained. "He said they were the Center of Paranormal Research and Protection Agency. CPRPA." He frowned as he looked toward the bathroom door. "We offered him sanctuary. At the moment he's in the shower."

"I say when he gets out, we ask him some questions," Casey said.

"He's already told us about some things," Leo said. "Right now, Donnie's researching the CPRPA. Until Thunder tells us more...or until Donnie finds the information, we're sitting ducks."

"Thunder? What kind of name is that?"

"What kind of a name is Casey Jones?"

Casey waved his hands submissively. "Alright alright, ya got me there." He stood up and walked over to Donnie's lab. "Yo, Donnie!"

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Donnie sighed loudly. Who invited Casey over? Oh wait...he always invited himself over. Which wasn't surprising in the least. He mentally counted down from three seconds and just as he got to the last second, Casey walked in.

"Whatcha working on?"

"I'm trying to gather information about a facility," Donnie answered, patiently. Well, as patiently as he could. Often, Casey grated his nerves.

Casey brightened, as if someone had just turned the lights on for him. "Oh yeah! Leo said you was researching this CPAPR stuff."

"It's CPRPA," Donnie corrected.

"Oh right. That's what Leo said," Casey said. He pulled up a stool chair and made himself comfortable next to Donnie, much to the ninja's chagrin. Still Donnie did not say anything to him but continued to let his fingers fly across the keyboard at rapid speed.

Surely, there was something he was missing, some evidence he had not yet discovered. One would think that the Center of Paranormal Research and Protection Agency would have a website, particularly under keywords such as paranormal and the strange and bizarre encounters. As such it wasn't listed under those. Which meant it was listed under something entirely different. Even more, it was possible they did not have an Internet website, but an Intranet website.

He tapped his fingers, thinking.

Casey watched him, with that same puzzled look on his face. However, before he could say what, Donnie suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Ah hah!"

"What's ah hah?" Casey blinked.

"You'll see." Donnie's fingers again did their walking, or rather flying, across the keyboard. And sure enough when he hit the enter button, there it was. A complex web page with a strange looking logo in the shape of three triangles shaped into that of a circle with another larger triangle bordering them. An interactive web flash introduced them to CPRPA coming out at them in 3-D before it circled above into an arch above the logo.

"Donnie, you found it!" Casey let out a whoop.

"Now..to see what this company is all about," Donnie mumbled as he got to work again.

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Splinter looked up when Thunder emerged from the shower. The boy was clean and dressed in a pair of gray jogging pants and a black t-shirt that Michelangelo had found for him. "Michelangelo is making you something to eat. You should eat to gain nourishment for your body."

Thunder looked at Splinter and tiredly nodded. Food was something he hadn't the pleasure of having for a while, and right now he'd probably eat about anything. Even peaches for that matter. He came around the couch and sat down next to Raph, in Casey's vacant spot. "I wish you thank you for generosity," he said.

"Hey, don't knock it," Raph said, grinning a little. "It's kind of our thing."

"Exactly. We're practitioners of Bushido," Leo said.

Thunder frowned. "I am sorry. I don't know anything about Bushido."

"Bushido is the way of the warrior," Leo explained. "It derives out entire moral code which is based upon loyalty, mastery, honor unto death, and frugality. It's a mixture of lessons from Confucian texts and is further influenced by Shinto and Zen. We practice serenity based on it."

"I see..." Thunder said. Bushido was something he would have to look into, at least once this entire mess was all over with. He laid his head back and closed his eyes to rest. The last few days was really starting to catch up to him.

A sweet aroma wafted in through from the kitchen, a combination of meat and vegetables, hitting their noses and making Leo and Raph hungrier than they initially had felt. Even Splinter's stomach growled in anticipation."Wow, Master Splinter. I didn't think even you could get that hungry!" Raph commented.

"Hmph. Perhaps this is a lesson for me. Never skip a meal," Splinter muttered.

Raph chuckled and leapt up from the couch, eager to be the first to get into the kitchen. "Yo, Mikey! Is the grub almost done?!"

Thunder blinked as he watched Raph go into the kitchen and looked at Leo and Raph. "Is he always like this?""You get used to it after awhile," Leo answered.

"I'm still trying to," Splinter dryly commented.

A few minutes later, Raph poked his head out of the kitchen and told them to come eat, and to do it soon before Mikey and he ate it all. Splinter stood up and encouraged Thunder to join them for dinner, and Leo hollered for Casey and Donnie. It took Leo a lot of convincing to get Donnie to step away from his research.

During dinner, while they ate together in the kitchen, Donnie informed everyone information he found regarding CPRPA. The CPRPA, an acronym for the Center of Paranormal Research and Protection Agency was in fact a governmental facility that made a commitment to study the paranormal, but not in the form of ghosts or aliens.

Rather, they studied kinetic powers to better understand them. But by studying the kinetic powers, they had to study the person with the kinetic knowledge was discovered by the government who quickly put the facility under its own authority. It was directly afterward, that CPRPA began to solicit a slogan, beckoning anyone with kinetic powers to come to their facility.

"But you see, it wasn't so that the company could necessarily control the kinetic person," Donnie said as he added some pepper to his steak. "It was so that they could help the person control their power. At least that's what the general was."

Thunder remained quiet as Donnie spoke, eating slowly, and feeling Casey staring at him. He did not meet Casey's eyes, lost in his own thoughts about what happened to him during his unwanted stay at the CPRPA. Most of what Donnie said was true though. The thing was, it wasn't all a picnic.

"Okay, enlighten me, dude, if the CPRPA isn't all that bad, then why did you run away?" Mikey asked Thunder suddenly.

All became silent and stared at Thunder who had his head down. It was Casey who broke the silence, like always."So ya that kid those dames were talking about!" he blurted.

At this Thunder looked at Casey with a piercing eye, and the vigilante quickly looked away, suddenly interested in his potatoes. But everyone else kept staring at Thunder, waiting.

"Spill it, kid," Raph grumbled.

Thunder frowned.

"Look, we can't help you unless you tell us what is really going on," Leo said, trying to be as patient as he could. And they waited. So far Thunder hadn't spoken to them, merely staring down at his half eaten meal. The very thought of the CPRPA caused a shiver to run through him.

It was then that the lights above flickered and popped.

Donnie gasped as he looked up, and Mikey's and Raph's eyes widened. Casey nearly jumped, and Splinter calmly watched.

"I knew I got shocked earlier!" Raph exclaimed.

"This is too freaky weird, even for me," Casey mumbled.

Donnie gaped at Casey. "You've seen alien invasions, Utrom technology, the sword of Tengu's power... Are you kidding me?!"

Casey's only answer was to drink his milk.

"Calm your mind, Thunder," Splinter coaxed. He guided Thunder from a shaky feeling, just like he had been able to calm his sons whenever they were upset about something. A few minutes later, the lights stopped flickering.

Again, they watched him.

"I am sorry," Thunder said after a few moments. "There is a lot more to the CPRPA than what you discovered. I would rather not discuss it, preferring to leave that place far behind, even in my memories. But, because you insist, let me start from the beginning."

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Rikki did not speak to Anna as she cleaned her M14 fully automatic rifle with her gun cleaning supplies. In the opposite chair, Anna held her nose, unwilling to smell the scent of lubrication oil, firearm solvent, and powder solvent.

Anna of course did not think it was necessary for Rikki to use any gun, and even the previous shotgun, now in the locked cabinet seemed a bit much. But Rikki loved her guns, and found them to be useful. Especially for a kid with so much power to him. Better not to take chances.

"You're not really gonna shoot him, are you?" Anna asked after a moment of silence.

"Might have to," Rikki said. "Look, you're the one who wants the kid. You told me he's got these strange healing powers too. Which means, shooting him will become an advantage. You get him back, and he heals from the damage. It's a win for all game."

"We don't want him hurt, you know," Anna muttered.

Rikki finished and snapped rifle back together. "I still think you should leave the kid alone and maybe just maybe he'd come back on his own."

Anna sighed and tapped her knee. They had already been through the long explanation of why they couldn't leave the kid alone. San Francisco's destruction was far proof of that. If only Rikki would get that through her thick, stubborn skull.

"Alright," Rikki said as she stood up and slung the rifle over her shoulder. "Time to go hunting."


End file.
